Big Bills, Bad Heat, and Broadway News

MayaGood morning and welcome to the morning rundown. I'm here with David and honestly, we've got a packed one today.

DavidYeah, no slow news day here.

MayaSo first up, Congress actually did something bipartisan. A housing bill just passed and it's headed to Trump's desk, easing zoning rules, cracking down on big investors, buying up single family homes.

DavidWhich, I mean, that's been a long time coming. We'll get into what's actually in it and whether it moves the needle.

MayaAnd then there's Europe, a brutal heat wave. Red alerts across multiple countries, and NBC News is reporting at least 40 people drowned in France alone just trying to cool off.

DavidThat's a lot, and it's not letting up through the weekend.

MayaPlus, Russia's running low on fuel. Bloomberg reported two-thirds of its regions are facing rationing after those Ukrainian drone strikes on refineries.

DavidDry week to be a Moscow commuter.

MayaRight? And we've got some fun stuff, too. Lin-Manuel Miranda, a Warriors musical. Well, Toy Story 5 making serious money and Will Smith and Jada resurfacing arm-in-arm in Paris.

DavidThat one caught me off guard.

MayaSame. All right. First up, the housing bill and some big moves on Capitol Hill. Okay, so Congress passed something this week, bipartisan, both chambers, and it's on housing.

DavidWait, housing? Like they agreed on housing? I know. Mark your calendars.

MayaNo way. Okay, what's actually in it?

DavidSo NBC News and Axios both covered this. The bill passed the House, and it's heading to Trump's desk. Main idea, loosen local zoning regulations, make it easier to build new homes, and restrict large institutional investors from buying up single-family properties.

MayaThat last part is interesting because that's been a real complaint from regular buyers. You're bidding against a hedge fund for a starter home.

DavidExactly. And from a market standpoint, this is the right call. More supply, fewer barriers to build—that's how you actually bring costs down. The government's not setting prices here, they're just getting out of the way.

MayaWhich, honestly, is refreshing.

DavidRight.

MayaYou don't see that framing very often from Congress.

DavidAnd the bipartisan piece matters. Sahil Kapur at NBC News called it a rare breakthrough this Congress. That's not nothing.

MayaThat tracks. So that's the good news. What else?

DavidOkay, so Congress also passed a war powers resolution, first time ever, actually, rebuking Trump's handling of the Iran conflict. The BBC reported and Al Jazeera confirmed the Senate vote.

MayaBoth chambers passed it?

DavidBoth chambers. Now, it's largely symbolic. Trump can veto it and he probably will. But the institutional signal is real. Congress saying we didn't authorize this war, we want it on record. on record.

MayaI mean, that's Congress doing its job, right? Asserting war powers authority. Whether you love Trump or not, that's how the system's supposed to work.

DavidYeah, and look, the BBC piece was clear. It doesn't end the conflict. It's more pressure than action. But precedent-wise, this is the first time a war powers resolution has cleared both chambers. File that away.

MayaOkay, and then there's the immigration court thing.

DavidRight. So a federal judge in California, covered by CNN. and issued a nationwide block on the Trump administration's policy of arresting people at immigration courts.

MayaWhich is, I mean, even if you're pro-enforcement, that venue is a problem, right? People are showing up voluntarily to go to court.

DavidThat's the tension. The administration's argument is they need flexibility in enforcement. The judge's argument is that arresting people at the courthouse chills participation in the legal process entirely.

MayaAnd now it's blocked nationwide.

DavidFor now, these things move fast to the courts, so this isn't the end of the story.

MayaWhen is it ever?

DavidNever.

MayaSo in one week, a housing bill that actually might help regular people buy homes, Congress asserting war powers for the first time ever, and a federal judge stepping into immigration enforcement. That's a lot.

DavidIt's a busy Washington week, and what's wild is all three of those are playing out in different branches. Congress, the courts, the executive, the whole system's in motion.

MayaMeanwhile, while D.C. is fighting over courts and war powers and who gets to arrest who, a big chunk of the world is dealing with something a lot more immediate right now.

DavidYeah, heat, like dangerous heat.

MayaSo what does it actually look like when an entire continent is running out of ways to cool down? This heat wave is no joke.

DavidYeah, exactly.

MayaNBC News reported today red alerts in multiple countries, records falling everywhere, and David, 40 people have drowned in France. 40!

DavidThat number is, yeah, let that land.

MayaPeople are rushing to rivers and beaches to cool off, and it's turning deadly. The Washington Post said temperatures across France are hitting levels higher than nearly anywhere else on the planet right now.

DavidAnd the heat wave's not done. It's set to expand across Europe through the weekend, per the Post.

MayaWhich means those numbers could get worse. Authorities in France are basically begging people to stay out of the water.

DavidAnd I get why people are going. When it's that hot and you don't have AC, a river looks pretty good. But rivers especially, the currents are unpredictable.

MayaRight, and heat affects your judgment too. You feel fine until you don't. don't.

DavidSo there's the human cost, but there's also a broader pressure point here, and this one's more economic.

MayaRussia.

DavidRussia. Bloomberg reported today that Ukraine's drone attacks on Russian refineries are creating a real fuel crunch inside Russia. At least two-thirds of the country's regions are now dealing with rationing or supply disruptions.

MayaTwo-thirds of regions?

DavidTwo-thirds. So you've got a country that produces this much oil. And its own people can't get gas reliably?

MayaI mean, that's a strange position to be in.

DavidIt's a squeeze. And look, the Ukraine drone campaign has been relentless. If you take out refining capacity, the crude in the ground doesn't help you with the pump. Russia's exporting oil while its own supply chain is under pressure.

MayaFollow the money, Right? They need the export revenue, so domestic supply takes the hit.

DavidExactly. And it's not like Russia can just flip a switch and reroute. Refinery attacks are slow, grinding damage.

MayaSo you've got Europe overheating and an energy picture that's already strayed. Those two things together are worth paying attention to, especially heading into the weekend.

DavidAnd honestly, it's a reminder that energy security and weather... are both starting to show up as the same kind of problem, supply getting squeezed from multiple directions at once.

MayaYeah, okay, that was a lot of heavy news for a Tuesday morning.

DavidWe covered floods and fuel shortages before 9 a.m. Not bad.

MayaSo let's do something about that. We've got Lin-Manuel Miranda... bringing the Warriors to Broadway, which, yes, that Warriors, plus Toy Story 5 is absolutely destroying at the box office, and Will Smith and Jada stepped out arm in arm in Paris.

DavidPeople have thoughts on all three of those.

MayaSo many thoughts. Let's get into it. Alright, on a much lighter note, Lin-Manuel Miranda is bringing the Warriors to Broadway.

DavidWait, the Warriors, like the 1979 gang movie?

MayaThe very one. Deadline reported it today. Miranda and playwright Asa Davis are co-writing the musical, and they've already locked in a Broadway venue for a spring premiere.

DavidOkay, I'm intrigued and skeptical at the same time. That movie's so gritty, it's not exactly Annie.

MayaRight? But I mean, Miranda turned a Founding Father into a rap battle, so I'm not counting him out.

DavidFair point. Hamilton literally shouldn't have worked on paper.

MayaExactly. I'll be watching that one closely.

DavidI'll wait for the reviews. Speaking of money moving, though, Toy Story 5?

MayaOh, it is printing cash. Deadline reported it pulled $17.3 million on Monday alone, best single Monday at the box office all year.

David$17.3 million on a Monday?

Speaker 3Wow.

MayaOn a Monday.

DavidFollow the money, and it says parents will absolutely take their kids anywhere Pixar tells them to go.

MayaThat is the whole Pixar business model in a sentence.

DavidI'm just saying, those tickets aren't cheap, and they're still selling out. The nostalgia tax is real.

MayaIt really is. And okay, you ready for this one?

DavidUh-oh, what now?

MayaWill Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith were spotted in Paris together arm in arm.

DavidHmm.

MayaThat's it? That's your reaction?

DavidI mean, Yahoo covered it. They're apparently still together, living separately, which, I don't know, that sounds like a lot of square footage.

MayaRight? A source told People they're still together even though they've been living apart and now they're just strolling through Paris?

DavidLook, I'm not here to judge anyone's relationship structure, but I will say if you're trying to quietly reconcile, Paris is not the low-key choice.

MayaNot even a little bit. That's like the most photographed city on earth.

DavidExactly. So either they know exactly what they're doing or they really just wanted a croissant. Croissant.

MayaI choose to believe it was the croissant.

DavidMe too, honestly. Me too.

MayaSo that's where we are. Warriors hitting Broadway, Toy Story 5 basically owning summer, and the Smiths giving everyone something to talk about over lunch.

DavidNot a bad Wednesday, all things considered.

MayaNot bad at all. All right, that's the rundown for today. Big day. Housing, Iran, a brutal heat wave, and somehow Will Smith.

DavidI mean, come on, that's quite a range.

MayaRight? The one that stuck with me, 40 people drowning in France just trying to cool off. That hit different.

DavidAnd on the policy side, that war powers vote clearing both chambers for the first time ever,

MayaMm-hmm.

DavidFile that away. That's just genuinely historic.

MayaWorth remembering. Okay, if you got something out of today's episode, subscribe and drop us a review. It actually helps.

DavidSeriously, it matters more than you think.

MayaThanks for spending your morning with us, David.

DavidWe'll see you tomorrow. And that's the Rundown.